Mutant mouse strains as models for in vivo radiotracer evaluations: [11C]methoxytetrabenazine ([11C]MTBZ) in tottering mice. Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • The regional brain distribution of [11C]methoxytetrabenazine ([11C]MTBZ), a high affinity radioligand for the vesicular monoamine transporter, has been examined in normal and tottering mice, which are neurological mutants. The tottering mice show significantly higher radiotracer accumulation (150-195% of controls) in all brain regions examined (striatum, cortex, hippocampus, hypothalamus, cerebellum and thalamus). The increases in [11C]MTBZ binding correlate (r = 0.91) with the reported increases in norepinephrine concentrations in these regions, and are consistent with the noradrenergic hyperinnervation characteristic of the tottering mutant mouse. These studies demonstrate that a mutant mouse model of increased innervation can be used to evaluate the sensitivity of an in vivo radiotracer measure, in this case [11C]MTBZ binding to vesicular transporters, to an increase in the numbers of binding sites in specific regions of the brain.

published proceedings

  • Nucl Med Biol

author list (cited authors)

  • Kilbourn, M. R., Sherman, P. S., & Abbott, L. C.

citation count

  • 9

complete list of authors

  • Kilbourn, MR||Sherman, PS||Abbott, LC

publication date

  • July 1995